The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

As Kobe Bryant once said, “There is power in understanding the journey of others to help create your own.”
That’s why the Learning Leader Show exists—to get together and understand the journeys of successful leaders, so that we can better understand our own.
This show is full of stories told by world-class leaders. Personal stories of successes, failures, and lessons learned along the way. Our guests come from diverse backgrounds—some are best-selling authors, others are genius entrepreneurs, and one even made a million dollars wearing t-shirts for a year. My role in this endeavor is to talk to the smartest, most creative, always-learning leaders in the world so that we can learn from them as we each create our own journeys.

Chris Guillebeau is an extraordinary leader. Between his best-selling books and hosting the World Domination Summit every summer, he’s constantly inspiring and empowering others to be creators and leaders. During this conversation, you’ll get to hear why Chris specifically wanted to come on the show and his personal backstory (It’s incredible). We had a fascinating conversation on this episode of The Learning Leader Show.

During a lifetime of self-employment that included a four-year commitment as a volunteer executive in West Africa, he visited every country in the world (193 in total) before his 35th birthday. Since then he has modeled the proven definition of an entrepreneur: “Someone who will work 24 hours a day for themselves to avoid working one hour a day for someone else.”

Chris’s first book, The Art of Non-Conformity, was translated into more than twenty languages. His second book, “The $100 Startup,” was a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, selling more than 300,000 copies worldwide. His latest book, “Born For This” will be released April 5, 2016. This book is the culmination of years of research on people who’ve found or created their “dream job.” From the outside, it looks like these people have been lucky. But in reality, they’ve followed a process of trial-and-error to get exactly what they want.

Every summer in Portland, Oregon, Chris hosts the World Domination Summit, a gathering of creative, remarkable people with thousands in attendance. Chris is also the founder of Pioneer Nation, Unconventional Guides, the Travel Hacking Cartel, and numerous other projects.

During a lifetime of self-employment that included a four-year commitment as a volunteer executive in West Africa, he visited every country in the world (193 in total) before his 35th birthday. Since then he has modeled the proven definition of an entrepreneur: “Someone who will work 24 hours a day for themselves to avoid working one hour a day for someone else.”

Chris’s first book, The Art of Non-Conformity, was translated into more than twenty languages. His second book, The $100 Startup, was a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, selling more than 300,000 copies worldwide. His latest book, The Happiness of Pursuit, was published in September 2014 and was also a New York Times bestseller.

Every summer in Portland, Oregon, Chris hosts the World Domination Summit, a gathering of creative, remarkable people with thousands in attendance. Chris is also the founder of Pioneer Nation, Unconventional Guides, the Travel Hacking Cartel, and numerous other projects.

James Clear is a leader who has researched and learned how the best leaders in the world form fantastic habits. On this episode, I was inspired to hear how James has made it his life’s work to study leaders who have sustained excellence and then has shared what he’s found with the world. I particularly enjoyed the part of our conversation where we discussed the specific ways all of us can implement and form great habits in our lives.

James Clear studies successful people across a wide range of disciplines — entrepreneurs, artists, athletes, and more — to uncover the habits and routines that make these people the best at what they do. Then, he shares what he learns in his popular email newsletter.

James teaches others to: Use small habits to multiply your mental and physical performance by 10x. Beat procrastination and shave wasted hours off your workweek. Overcome their inner fears and actually follow through on what they set out to do.

James Clear studies successful people across a wide range of disciplines — entrepreneurs, artists, athletes, and more — to uncover the habits and routines that make these people the best at what they do. Then, he shares what he learns in his popular email newsletter.

James teaches others to: Use small habits to multiply your mental and physical performance by 10x. Beat procrastination and shave wasted hours off your workweek. Overcome their inner fears and actually follow through on what they set out to do.

Episode 109 Natalie Sisson: A Clear Vision, Discipline, & Leveling Up Can Lead To The Life You Want

Natalie Sisson is an adventurous leader… I really appreciate the way she approaches her work. She is incredibly passionate about building amazing online businesses and that passion is evident in her voice! We had a fascinating conversation on this episode of The Learning Leader Show.

Natalie Sisson is the Suitcase Entrepreneur because, since leaving New Zealand in 2006, she’s travelled and explored the world (69 countries and counting), lived out of her suitcase and run an online business that allows her massive freedom while generating a multiple six-figure income in 2015 alone.

Natalie was destined to live out of a suitcase – both from a physical sense – she prefers to buy experiences over stuff, and she has a mental attitude of minimalism and a carefree attitude of no burdens.

Natalie is on a mission to help 1,000,000+ entrepreneurs create true freedom in life by 2020.

Episode 109 Natalie Sisson: A Clear Vision, Discipline, & Leveling Up Can Lead To The Life You Want

Natalie Sisson is the Suitcase Entrepreneur because, since leaving New Zealand in 2006, she’s travelled and explored the world (69 countries and counting), lived out of her suitcase and run an online business that allows her massive freedom while generating a multiple six-figure income in 2015 alone.

Natalie was destined to live out of a suitcase – both from a physical sense – she prefers to buy experiences over stuff, and she has a mental attitude of minimalism and a carefree attitude of no burdens.

Building a freedom-based life doesn’t always have to mean living constantly on the road though. It means grabbing the freedom to make choices that feed your soul.

Which is why in August 2015, she dropped everything she was doing in Portugal to go back home to Wellington, New Zealand to be with her family and her father who became ill.

She is incredibly thankful to have a freedom based business that allowed her to do that and spend quality time, especially with her father, before he passed away on December 1st.

Had she still been in a corporate job, she may not have had the leave or the money to be able to do this at all, and that’s when it really hit her how important it was to build a business or career that supports your ideal lifestyle, and why EVERYONE deserves the right to freedom.

Natalie is on a mission to help 1,000,000+ entrepreneurs create true freedom in life by 2020.

Episode 108: Steven Kotler – Your Flow State: What Is It? How To Get There…

Steven Kotler is a remarkable leader… I really appreciate that he’s actively seeking out opportunities to get to his “flow” state. Your flow state is your optimal level of consciousness. On this episode, I learned a great deal about being in flow and finding ways to get there more often. We had a fascinating conversation on this episode of The Learning Leader Show.

Steven Kotler is a New York Times bestselling author, an award-winning journalist and the cofounder/director of research for the Flow Genome Project. He is one of the world’s leading experts on ultimate human performance.

His latest work, Bold was called a “visionary roadmap for change,” by President Bill Clinton and spent many weeks atop both the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists.

His previous book, The Rise of Superman, was one of the most talked about books in 2013 and the first book in history to land on national bestseller lists in the sports, science, and business categories simultaneously. In it, Steven decodes the science of flow, an optimal state of consciousness where we feel our best and perform our best.

Episode 108: Steven Kotler – Your Flow State: What Is It? How To Get There…

Steven Kotler is a New York Times bestselling author, an award-winning journalist and the cofounder/director of research for the Flow Genome Project. He is one of the world’s leading experts on ultimate human performance.

His latest work, Bold was called a “visionary roadmap for change,” by president Bill Clinton and spent many weeks atop both the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists.

His previous book, The Rise of Superman, was one of the most talked about books in 2013 and the first book in history to land on national bestseller lists in the sports, science, and business categories simultaneously. In it, Steven decodes the science of flow, an optimal state of consciousness where we feel our best and perform our best.

Just as Rise explores the upper limits of individual possibility, his book, Abundance, explores the upper limits of societal possibility, breaking down four emerging forces that give humanity the potential to significantly raise global standards of living over the next 20 to 30 years. Abundance spent 10 weeks atop the New York Times bestseller list and appeared on four prestigious “Best Book of the Year” lists. A Small, Furry Prayer—Steven’s book about the relationship between humans and animals—was a national bestseller and nominated for a Pulitzer Prize; West of Jesus, which examines the neurobiology of spiritual experience, was a Pen/West finalist; and his bestselling novel, The Angle Quickest For Flight, won the William L. Crawford IAFA Fantasy Award.

His writings have been translated into over 40 languages and appeared in over 80 publications, including The New York Times, Atlantic Monthly, Forbes, Wired and TIME. He also writes “Far Frontiers,” a blog about science and culture for Forbes.com, appears frequently on television and radio, and lectures widely on technological, scientific and cultural issues, both to corporate and education institutions.

Simon Sinek is a bucket list type of a guest. He is a literally hero of mine. His TED Talk, “How Great Leaders Inspire Action” is one of my all-time favorites. It’s also happens to be one of the most popular TED talks of all time. I loved learning more about Simon the person… As well as some of his newer views on leadership... I loved how emotional Simon got at certain points in this conversation… Especially when we discussed how it takes courage for great leaders to step up and make tough decisions. We had a fascinating conversation on this episode of The Learning Leader Show.

Simon Sinek is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together. Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Sinek teaches leaders and organizations how to inspire people. With a bold goal to help build a world in which the vast majority of people go home every day feeling fulfilled by their work, Sinek is leading a movement to inspire people to do the things that inspire them. A trained ethnographer, he is the author of two books: the global best seller, Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action and his newest book, the New York Times and Wall Street Journal best seller, Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t.

Fascinated by the leaders and companies that make the greatest impact in their organizations and in the world, those with the capacity to inspire, he has discovered some remarkable patterns about how they think, act and communicate and the environments in which people operate at their natural best. He has devoted his life to sharing his thinking in order to help other leaders and organizations inspire action.

He is best known for popularizing the concept of Why and for the talk he gave on the subject that became the second most watched talk of all time on TED.com.

Simon Sinek is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together. Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Sinek teaches leaders and organizations how to inspire people. With a bold goal to help build a world in which the vast majority of people go home every day feeling fulfilled by their work, Sinek is leading a movement to inspire people to do the things that inspire them. A trained ethnographer, he is the author of two books: the global best seller, Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action and his newest book, the New York Times and Wall Street Journal best seller, Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t. Fascinated by the leaders and companies that make the greatest impact in their organizations and in the world, those with the capacity to inspire, he has discovered some remarkable patterns about how they think, act and communicate and the environments in which people operate at their natural best. He has devoted his life to sharing his thinking in order to help other leaders and organizations inspire action.

He is best known for popularizing the concept of Why and for the talk he gave on the subject that became the second most watched talk of all time on TED.com.

Michelle Gielan is a remarkable leader… I love the way she approaches her work. Studying happiness and the mindset in which she approaches life inspires me! Her newest book, “Broadcasting Happiness” takes an incredible look at some really interesting topics on happiness including: Priming your brain for high performance, how to spark positive thinking, and How to deal with negative people. We had a fascinating conversation on this episode of The Learning Leader Show.

Michelle is the Founder of the Institute for Applied Positive Research and is partnered with Arianna Huffington to study how transformative stories fuel success. She is an Executive Producer of “The Happiness Advantage” Special on PBS and a featured professor in Oprah’s Happiness course.

Michelle holds a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and her research and advice have received attention from The New York Times, Washington Post, FORBES, CNN, FOX, and Harvard Business Review.

Michelle is the Founder of the Institute for Applied Positive Research and is partnered with Arianna Huffington to study how transformative stories fuel success. She is an Executive Producer of “The Happiness Advantage” Special on PBS and a featured professor in Oprah’s Happiness course.

Michelle holds a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and her research and advice have received attention from The New York Times, Washington Post, FORBES, CNN, FOX, and Harvard Business Review.

Episode 105: David Burkus – How The Best Companies Are Breaking All The Rules

David Burkus is a remarkable leader… I really appreciate that he’s actively seeking out opportunities to learn and grow. His newest book takes an incredible look at some really interesting topics such as: getting rid of open offices, banning non-compete clauses, and making salaries transparent. We had a fascinating conversation on this episode of The Learning Leader Show.

David is the best-selling author of The Myths of Creativity: The Truth About How Innovative Companies Generate Great Ideas. He writes regularly for Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Psychology Today. He’s also the founder and host of Radio Free Leader, a podcast that shares insights on leadership, innovation, and strategy.

He’s delivered keynote speeches and workshops for Fortune 500 companies such as Microsoft and Stryker, in-demand conferences such as SXSW and TEDx events, and governmental leaders and future leaders at the US Naval Academy and Naval Postgraduate School.

When he’s not speaking, he’s in the classroom. He is associate professor of management at Oral Roberts University, where he teaches courses on organizational behavior, creativity and innovation, and strategic leadership. His most recent book, “Under New Management: How Leading Organizations Are Upending Business as Usual” comes out March 15, 2016.

Episode 105: David Burkus – How The Best Companies Are Breaking All The Rules

David Burkus is the best-selling author of The Myths of Creativity: The Truth About How Innovative Companies Generate Great Ideas. He writes regularly for Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Psychology Today. He’s also the founder and host of Radio Free Leader, a podcast that shares insights on leadership, innovation, and strategy.

He’s delivered keynote speeches and workshops for Fortune 500 companies such as Microsoft and Stryker, in-demand conferences such as SXSW and TEDx events, and governmental leaders and future leaders at the US Naval Academy and Naval Postgraduate School.

When he’s not speaking, he’s in the classroom. He is associate professor of management at Oral Roberts University, where he teaches courses on organizational behavior, creativity and innovation, and strategic leadership. His most recent book, “Under New Management: How Leading Organizations Are Upending Business as Usual” comes out March 15, 2016.

Tom Bilyeu is an incredible leader… I really appreciate that he’s actively seeking out opportunities to learn and grow. His company has had massive amounts of success in an extremely short period of time. They’ve grown 57,000 % in the last three years. Tom has an energy and excitement in his voice that moves and empowers people.

Tom Bilyeu is the Co-Founder/President of Quest Nutrition. Quest is number 2 on the list of Inc.’s 500 Fastest Growing Companies. Tom is also the Host Inside Quest – An incredible show he publishes on YouTube where he speaks with some of the greatest leaders in the world… People who are titans of their industry like, Tony Robbins, Tim Ferriss, Rainn Wilson, Robert Greene, Lewis Howes, and more…

Tom Bilyeu is the Co-Founder/President of Quest Nutrition. Quest is number 2 on the list of Inc.’s 500 Fastest Growing Companies. Tom is also the Host Inside Quest – An incredible show he publishes on YouTube where he speaks with some of the greatest leaders in the world… People who are titans of their industry like, Tony Robbins, Tim Ferriss, Rainn Wilson, Robert Greene, Lewis Howes, and more…

Chase Jarvis is one of my favorite leaders in the world. I love his attitude and his approach to his life and business. Sometimes you have a conversation where it just clicks and this is one of those. Between being a world class photographer and running perhaps the greatest learning platform in the world (Creative Live), Chase is successful in multiple life categories. I absolutely loved this conversation.

Chase Jarvis is an award winning photographer, director, and media maven. He co-founded CreativeLive in 2010 to share free creative education with aspiring artists and entrepreneurs worldwide. In addition to his work creating campaigns for Nike, Apple, RedBull, Starbucks and other Fortune 100 companies Chase is widely recognized for creating Best Camera - the world's first photo app to share images to social networks - which kicked off the mobile photography/sharing craze.

Chase Jarvis is an award winning photographer, director, and media maven. He co-founded CreativeLive in 2010 to share free creative education with aspiring artists and entrepreneurs worldwide. In addition to his work creating campaigns for Nike, Apple, RedBull, Starbucks and other Fortune 100 companies Chase is widely recognized for creating Best Camera - the world's first photo app to share images to social networks - which kicked off the mobile photography/sharing craze.